Palestinians attempt return to E1 tent village
Several arrested as activists march to outpost previously evacuated by Israeli security forces
Aaron Kalman is a former writer and breaking news editor for the Times of Israel
Palestinian activists marched back to the Bab a-Shams tent outpost in a controversial strip of land east of Jerusalem called E1 on Tuesday afternoon, three days after they were removed by Israeli police and soldiers.
Hundreds of Palestinians and international activists returned to the site, where they were met by Israeli security forces. Some reported the use of stun grenades and tear gas by the police.
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Several activists were arrested.
The area has been a closed military zone since last Friday, when Palestinian activists set up the tent village to protest Israeli settlement activity.
Early Sunday morning, Israeli forces evacuated the Palestinian outpost, less than a day after the High Court stayed the demolition of the small tent village but authorized the removal of its inhabitants.
Police forces entered the makeshift Bab a-Shams village just before 3 a.m. Sunday. The activists sat on the ground as a form of nonviolent resistance as hundreds of police surrounded the outpost. About 100 protesters were moved off the land and put on buses to Qalandiya.
The 25 tents at the site were left untouched, and soldiers remained at the site to keep any activists from returning.
Israel recently revived plans to build in the E1 area, drawing harsh international condemnation. Critics say settlement construction there would make a contiguous Palestinian state nearly impossible.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
